Clock striking mechanism.



No. 827,275. I PATENTED JULY 31, 1906. L. L. VOLPO. CLOCK STRIKINGMECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 001a, 1904.

' I ZSHEBTS-SHBET 1.

No. 827,275. I PATENTED JULY 31, 1906.

L. L. VOLPO. CLOCK STRIKING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 0018, 1904.

v WITNESSES: INVENTOR w ATTORNEY.

THE NORRIS Pzr sns cm, wAsmNuraN, n. c.

LEISER LEVI VOLPO,

OF NEW YORK, I. Y.

CLOCK STFHKING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

katented July 31, 1906;

Application filed October 8, 1904. Serial 110.227.725.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, LEISER LEVI VoLPo, a British subject, residing at No. 73 Monroe street, borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, andState of New York, .have invented Improvements in Striking Mechanism forClocks and Watches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the striking mechanism ofclocks and watches and the objects of the invention are to obtain asimple construction, to economize power, to regulate the speed of thestriking apparatus by a complete escapement apparatus separate from thetime-train of the clock or watch, to impart initial motion to thebalance-wheel or pendulum of the striking-train escapement apparatus bythe time-train at the same time as it releases the striking-train, andto obtain other advan tages and results, some of which may behereinafter referred to in connection with the description of theworking parts.

The invention consists in the improved clock striking mechanism and inthe arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, allsubstantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced inthe clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals ofreference indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures, Figure 1showsin side view a construction of mechanism for carryingout myinvention, and Fig. 2 illustrates the same in edge View looking in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1.

In said drawings, 2 indicates a barrel containing a spring adapted to bewound in any usual manner to furnish power for the striking apparatus.Upon the shaft 3 of the spring and outside the barrel 2 is a gear-wheel41, which drives a pinion 5 and large wheel 6, the latter in turnmeshing with a pinion 7, having a large wheel 8, which engages a pinion9 on the escapement-wheel shaft 10. Said escapement-wheel 11 has acooperating cylinder 12 of ordinary construction and ,carrying abalance-wheel13 and a hair-spring14.

A counting-wheel 15 is fixed upon the shaft 16 of the trainwheel 6 andhas at its periphery notches 17 to allow the tooth 18 of an arm 19 todrop in, the distance from one notch to another being so many onehundred and fiftieths of a circle as the number of strokes required tobe given, since the total number of strokes for hours and quarter-hoursin twelve hours is one hundred and fifty. Upon the shaft 20 of thepinion 7 and gear 8 is a tripping-wheel 21 ,which actuates thehammere 22and 23, said hammers for thisp'urpose projecting from a shaft 2 1, (or25,) which has a dog 26, (or 27,) adapted tobe tripped by the teeth ofthe said wheel 21-.

A small toothed wheel 28 is fast upon the shaft 10 of theescapement-wheel, and this wheel 28 has five teeth adapted to engage-theextremity 30 of the arm 19 when the tooth 18 of said arm is in one ofthe notches of the countingwheel. This toothed wheel 28 moves a toothfor each one hundred and fiftieth part of the countingwheel15, and thusthree teeth ofthe escapemnt-whel 11 are allowed to pass the balance foreach stroke of the hammer.

For releasing the arm 19 from the'whe els 15 and 28 I have shown a lever3-1, adapted to beengaged, as at a tooth 23, by a minutewheel 33, drivenby the ti'me train of the clock. This lever 31 when tripped engages, asat 34, the arm 19 to raise the same out of engagement with both thecounting-wheel 15 and the toothed wheel 28. At the same time a finger 35upon said lever 31 engages the toothed wheel 28 to hold it in place ofthe arm 19, and another finger 36, also upon said lever, engages a spur37 upon the cylinder 12, so as to force said cylinder around a portionof a revolution. As soon as the lever 31 drops back into normalposition, therefore, its finger 35 releases the toothed wheel 28, thuspermitting the train to move, and its finger 36 releases thebalance-wheel, so that it is started in motion. At the same time thetrain has started sufficiently so that as the arm 19 drops back thetooth 18 will not enter the notch of the counting-wheel from which itwas lifted. but will ride upon the periphery of the wheel until the nextnotch is reached, when it drops in, and simultaneously 'ts extremity 30engages a tooth of the wheel 28, stopping the same and also theescapement apparatus.

In order to distinguish hour-strokes from quarter-hour strokes, a smallarm 33 upon the minute-wheel 33 engages an arm 38 of the adjacenthammer-shaft to hold said hammer in idle position and to permit thehours to be struck by one hammer alone.

It will be understood that the specific form and construction of the arm19 and lever 31 may be varied at will so long as they perform thefunctions described, and I do not therefore wish to be understood aslimiting myself by the positive descriptive terms applied thereto.Furthermore, any kind of free escapement may be employed, such ascylinder, lever, duplex, chronometer, or anything actuating abalance-wheel with hair-spring or pendulum.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In astriking mechanism for clocks, a spring-driven train of gears, anescapementwheel and balance-wheel in train with said gears andindependent of any other, a counting-wheel in connection with said trainof gears, a toothed wheel fast with respect to the escapement-wheel, anarm having a tooth to engage said counting-wheel and an extremityadapted to simultaneously engage said toothed wheel, a lever adapted toen gage said arm to release it and the balance wheel to start it, meansadapted to be actuated by clockwork to trip said lever at predeterminedintervals, and a hammer adapted to be operated by said gear-train.

2. In a striking mechanism for clocks, a sprin -driven train of gears,an escapementwheeI and balance-wheel in train with said gears andindependent of any other, a toothed wheel fixed with respect to theescapementwheel, an arm for turning said balance-wheel, a counting-whee1in connection with said train of gears, a second arm having a tooth toengage said counting-wheel and an extremity adapted to simultaneouslyengage said toothed wheel, a lever adapted at one part of itself torelease said second arm and having another part adapted to engage thesaid arm of the balance-wheel, and means adapted to be actuated byclockwork to swing said lever.

3. In a striking mechanism for clocks, a sprin -driven train of gears,an escapementwhee and balance-wheel in train with said gears andindependent of any other, a toothed wheel fixed with respect to theescapementwheel, an arm for turning said balancewheel, a counting-wheelin connection with said train of gears, a second arm having a tooth toengage said counting-wheel and an extremity adapted to simultaneouslyengage said toothed wheel, a lever adapted at one part of itself torelease said second arm and having a second part to engage said arm ofthe balance-wheel and a third part to lock the said toothed wheel, andmeans adapted to be actuated by clockwork to swing said lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEISER LEVI VOLPO. Witnesses W. COHEN, WALTER SAoHs,

